Hometown heroes Wilco turn 20 this year. They’re celebrating with a six-night residency at the Riviera (if you slept on tickets, try StubHub) and two major retrospectives: Alpha Mike Foxtrot, a 77-track set of rarities, and What’s Your 20?, a collection of the band’s essential tracks.
Unlike box sets of yore, these are both available in MP3 or lossless FLAC formats. Which means they play nicely with Bluetooth speakers. Hence, we’re recommending three new-to-market options we’ve got an ear on:
For the Traveler
The first ever Bluetooth speaker from the audiophiles at Bang & Olufsen, the BeoPlay A2 is on the larger side of “portable,” but a slim form factor and interchangeable straps make the case for mobility. Two speaker drivers on each side provide an incredibly rich and clean field of sound, and the battery lasts a full day on one charge. Check it out.
For the Aesthete
Audioengine’s new B2 Speaker. It’s wireless. It’s wood. It offers studio monitor-quality audio. And it has a 60W built-in amp and custom Kevlar woofers that provide warm bass, mid range and responsive treble. Check it out.
For the Modernist
The new Bowers & Wilkins T7 speaker is, quite simply, the blingiest. Honeycomb bezel. High-end bass drivers for stability and ultra-crisp highs and lows. It’s the same tech from the 800 Series Diamond loudspeakers, which currently service Abbey Road Studios. Would look at home beside a River North pool. Maybe not so much in Wicker Park. Check it out.
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